Re: Low preout=bad SQ?

Well i've never heard of the Visteon components... have any more info on them?
do just the components sound bad or does the entire system sound bad alltogether, because your feeding it plenty of power with good amps.

Re: Low preout=bad SQ?

everything i bought on my system was used... everything works fine but i have set the gain of my component speakers woofers below 0,5v isn't it a little bit high for a unit with 4v preouts?

if i just set it to 4v i can go to volume 35 and it still sounds too quiet in my opinion... even the way it is its sounding a little quiet... on my friends setup they dont need to increase the volume as much as i need to to listen to music at the volume i do...

i know the 9815 has a notorious issue of low preouts im just concerned if that is affecting the soudn quality on my system

Re: Low preout=bad SQ?

where do you guys leave your component speaker gains?

i use 3way mode and my tweeter is on 2v and the woofer is a little below 0,5v

im having problems with the subwoofer preouts too i guess... well on bass test tracks the sub pounds but on regular music i listen to (not electronic or rap) the subwoofer barely thumps... i leave it on nominal...

i once tested the voltage of the sub pre out and it showed 5v but i guess i did it wrong because i just used a voltimeter connected to the rca... do i need a resistance or something to check the voltage correctly?

Re: Low preout=bad SQ?

unless you have an inducted noise problem in your install, having more preout voltage does nothing to help the SQ.

Jack, I'd have to say I disagree. My last HU upgrade was from a KDC-X569 to the X679 I use now.

There are 1.8v preouts on the 569 and 5v outs on the 679. The only sound-shaping difference was a more extensive HP cutoff selection for the rear channels and going from quad 1-bit DACs to the 24-bit Burr-Brown circuit. I had no inducted noise prior to buying the 679 and in a straight A/B comparo (nothing changed but the HU) the overall SQ improved dramatically. On the same speakers driven by the same amps, after re-adjusting the gains, I observed the entire soundstage being much broader and everything I played had a heckuva lot more 'presence.' I don't honestly believe all the noticeable difference can be attributed to the improved DAC and the only other difference was the increased preout voltage.

Re: Low preout=bad SQ?

Originally Posted by Jack Frost

They don't...

unless you have an inducted noise problem in your install, having more preout voltage does nothing to help the SQ.

While I do agree that higher voltage alone will not make a bad system good, I would say however that higher pre amp voltage lowers the system noise floor simply because the gains on the amps can be turned way down. Obviously if you have amps with a really high s/n ratio it wouldn't be as much but EVERY amp has less hiss when the gains are turned down.

So in a sense less noise (not distortion or engine noise) can be considered higher SQ. Just a thought from my empty head...LOL.

Re: Low preout=bad SQ?

Originally Posted by Prowler573

Jack, I'd have to say I disagree. My last HU upgrade was from a KDC-X569 to the X679 I use now.

There are 1.8v preouts on the 569 and 5v outs on the 679. The only sound-shaping difference was a more extensive HP cutoff selection for the rear channels and going from quad 1-bit DACs to the 24-bit Burr-Brown circuit. I had no inducted noise prior to buying the 679 and in a straight A/B comparo (nothing changed but the HU) the overall SQ improved dramatically. On the same speakers driven by the same amps, after re-adjusting the gains, I observed the entire soundstage being much broader and everything I played had a heckuva lot more 'presence.' I don't honestly believe all the noticeable difference can be attributed to the improved DAC and the only other difference was the increased preout voltage.

Preout voltage can very much make a difference in SQ, IMO.

What you experienced was definitely not related to having a higher preout voltage. Preout voltage doesn't have the ability to adjust your soundstage.

Not to mention, too many variables in your situation (including psychoacoustics) changed to be able to absolutely relate the "differences" solely to the preout voltage even if it were true.